Description
A practical two-layer 8-inch vanilla sprinkle cake covered in vivid purple buttercream and finished with simple candy eyes for an easy Halloween monster face.
Ingredients
- Vanilla sprinkle cake layers:
- All-purpose flour: 3 cups (360 g)
- Granulated sugar: 2 cups (400 g)
- Unsalted butter, softened: 1 cup (227 g)
- Baking powder: 2 tbsp (24 g)
- Fine salt: 1 tsp
- Large eggs: 6
- Vanilla extract: 2 tsp (10 ml)
- Whole milk (or buttermilk): 1 1/4 cups (300 ml)
- Rainbow jimmies sprinkles: 1 1/2 cups (180 g)
- Optional: 1–2 tbsp (8–16 g) extra flour for tossing sprinkles (if they bleed a lot)
- Purple vanilla buttercream:
- Unsalted butter, softened: 1 1/2 cups (340 g)
- Powdered sugar: 5 cups (600 g)
- Heavy cream or whole milk: 1/4 cup (60 ml), plus more as needed
- Vanilla extract: 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml)
- Purple gel food coloring: about 1–2 tsp (use to reach your desired purple)
- To decorate:
- Store-bought candy monster eyes: 12–16 pieces (amount varies by brand)
- Optional edible glitter or extra jimmies: 1–2 tbsp (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the pans: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment circles; lightly grease the parchment too.
- Toss the sprinkles (optional but helpful): If your sprinkles bleed a lot, toss them with 1–2 tbsp of flour from the recipe. This helps them stay suspended.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Beat in butter: Add softened butter. Beat on medium speed until the mixture looks like sandy crumbs and feels mostly uniform, 1–2 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
- Add milk and finish batter: With mixer on low, add milk in two additions, mixing just until smooth. Fold in sprinkles gently.
- Divide and bake: Divide batter evenly between pans (about the same height in each). Bake 28–34 minutes.
- Check doneness (visual cues): The center should spring back when lightly pressed, edges should be golden, and a toothpick near the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- Cool: Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Cool completely (at least 1 hour) before frosting.
- Make buttercream: Beat butter on medium-high until creamy, 1–2 minutes. Add powdered sugar gradually (start low to avoid clouds). Mix on medium until thick.
- Adjust texture + color: Add heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time to reach a spreadable, smooth consistency. Mix in vanilla and purple gel coloring until the shade is vivid and even. If too thick, add a little more cream; if too loose, add powdered sugar.
- Level (if needed): If domed, use a serrated knife to trim the very top bump from each layer.
- Stack and fill: Place one layer on a cake board. Spread a generous layer of purple buttercream on top. Add second layer, flat side up.
- Crumb coat: Apply a thin coat of buttercream over the whole cake. Chill 15–20 minutes to set.
- Final coat + smooth: Add remaining buttercream and smooth the sides and top as desired (palette knife swirl or smooth finish).
- Decorate with eyes: Press candy eyes gently into the frosting on top. Place them in a “face” pattern (for example: 3 larger eyes across the top, smaller ones around). Add optional edible glitter or extra jimmies if you want extra sparkle.
- Serve: For best texture, let the cake sit at cool room temperature 15–20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
If your kitchen is warm, keep the crumb coat chilled and work efficiently; buttercream softens faster than you expect. For cleaner layers, make sure the cakes are fully cool—warm layers will melt the buttercream and create sliding.